Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

From S1 E1, E2

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“Long Day’s Journey Into Night”

“The Way Things Are Now”

I have a soft spot for mysterious small town/location with some kind of enigmatic strangeness. Twin Peaks, Eerie, Indiana, LOST, Picket Fences, Widow’s Bay… and now you can add one more to the list.

From.

I have heard about this show for quite awhile now. It starred Harold Perrineau, who was, of course, on LOST as Michael Dawson, and the show had that eerie, weird feel immediately.

In these premiere two episodes, we get introduced to the fact that no one can be out past dark because of some kind of creatures that are all kinds of bad news. The little girl in the cold open of episode one paid the price for opening that window. A bloody, bloody price.

Lots of mysterious rules that we are told and see in action right off the bat. Not very many answers. Just how I like it.

Harold Perrineau is Sheriff Boyd Stevens and he has been clearly going through this for some time now. We see him trying to help people immediately.

There is a family driving into the town in their RV, after being redirected by a tree that was blocking the road. Apparently, once you are in this area, you do not leave. Again, reminded me of LOST with the people who could never leave the island.

The family is involved in a wreck with their RV, putting them all in danger. Little boy gets impaled in the leg by a table leg. That means he can’t be moved and darkness was coming.

There is a loaded cast and it will take some time for me to be able to identify which character is which. However, the show did a good job of showing me Boyd, his son Ellis, the Matthews family, and Donna. Donna’s story about her sister was tragic. The rest of the group will be people I am sure I will get to know over the next four seasons.

From is now on Netflix, while it is also on MGM + on Prime.

Crystal Lake S1 E3

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“Part III”

Bear hunting is all the rage on Crystal Lake ep 3.

Some of the locals believe that the pelvis found in the woods had been killed by a bear.

Of course, that was never going to go well for them.

It was just a matter of time before they shot one of their own group. However, the shot man was not just shot, but he saw a vision of the mysterious man who attacked Claudette and Barry in the car.

Then…

Pam Voorhees strikes again.

This time she brutally murders Grace’s mother and sets her diner on fire to cover the scene (better than feeding her to the bears). She sees her being angry with Grace and she believed that she was being abusive to the girl. It looked though that Grace was doing it to herself (with self-inflicted cigarette burns).

Grace seems to be fairly off-kilter as well. She assaulted Claudette in the bathroom. Admittedly, Claudette started everything trying to get Grace back for throwing the shoes into Barry’s car (even though we know it wasn’t her). So with Claudette, it felt as if she deserved what Grace does to her. This is what leads to her mother being mad with her.

Pam takes advantage of that and she absolutely shows off how crazy she is.

Crystal Lake is picking up some steam for me as I enjoyed this episode fully. It felt much like the It: Welcome to Derry show in ways, particularly with the past time frame.

Crystal Lake is streaming on Peacock.

VisionQuest S1 E3, E4

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“Reboot”

“Malware”

The next two episodes of VisionQuest dropped on Disney + tonight and there are some big time stuff.

Jocasta made her first appearance in the MCU as a brutal AI killer. We get a background on her. And she was kicking Vision’s butt.

The first episode this week dealt with Vision’s damage from Paladin’s attack, and the relationship between Tommy and Vision is handled. Admittedly, Tommy was a little whiny in that episode, but that is understandable.

One of the funniest parts of the first episode was that they had to fix Vision by shutting him off and restarting him. Just like any tech.

My first thought about “Reboot” was it felt a little silly at times, but I loved how it developed through the episode.

By the end though, my mouth was so agape. When Vision let Ultron take over the body to stop Jocasta and he helped her kill her target, I was shocked. Then, Ultron was was going to keep Vision’s body. Whoa!

I am amazed at this twist at the end of episode four. Holy cow, it was chilling. I loved how they dubbed James Spader’s voice over Paul Bettany’s acting. It was so smooth that it almost seemed as if Bettany was doing the voice. It was definitely Spader’s voice, but if you told me it was just Bettany doing a Spader imitation, I would believe you.

I enjoyed the path of E.D.I.T.H. looking at her past in the real world. They mentioned how Tony Stark based the AI’s on real people (in the MCU). Ultron actually had a good scene with EDITH about this.

Oh, and Paladin was fired by the mysterious benefactor. There was a ton of mentions of JIM… Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch, and that is my guess right now about the benefactor. JIM is absolutely going to be a part of this show.

James Spader is so great. Ruaridh Mollica is a fabulous Tommy so far. I am not sure how I felt about Dum-E and U suddenly speaking. The whole U singing at JARVIS’s “funeral” was too sappy for me.

Still, I can not wait for next week. It was extremely well done.

American Horror Story 13 S13 E7, E8, E9, E10

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“The Baddest Witch of Them All”

“Hell No”

“The Devil Is in the Details”

“The Prodigal Son”

I caught back up with American Horror Story’s 13th season after missing a few weeks. I watched episodes 7-10 of the big crossover season.

These four episodes featured the witches from AHS: Coven heavily, specifically in the first two of these four episodes. We also get back to Ben, and we learn what his deal is and why he has that tattoo 616 on his back.

I did love seeing the Nightstalker, Dahmer and Zodiac make appearances only to get their asses handed to them.

I have to say that the first six episodes of this season were fun, but I was not very invested in them. I think a big reason was that there were a lot of Easter eggs with characters showing up from seasons that I did not watch or did not remember. For every Twisty or Rubber Man, there were two or three characters that I did not know.

However, with the focus on the Coven witches, even though that was not my most favorite season, I was able to focus in on what the story was going to be, and these last four episodes had me bought in.

We find out the truth behind Mr. Nas and his purpose. A bet between God and Satan? How very Chris DeBurgh of the show. Constance discovering the shocking truth behind her own parentage, which was a big time cock block as well.

Then, the end of episode ten, with Ben, who just learned of his own position as son of Satan and Satan’s potential right hand man on earth, heads to Miss Robichaux’s Academy to confront the Coven who is beginning their search for him.

These episodes felt very much more concise, more planned and we more than just a bunch of member-berries. These have me much more excited for American Horror Story than I was before, as it was clear that the last AHS episode I watched was Oct. 4. It won’t be two weeks until I watch episode 11, for sure.

Crystal Lake S1 E2

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“Some of Us are Meant to Wear Masks”

The second episode of the series has some interesting moments, especially with Linda Cardellini.

Pam Voorhees went to The Experience, a self-help group led by Wilhelm (Nathan Darrow). I really thought that Wilhelm, the guru who ran the program, was going to be the next victim on the list of Pam, after she murdered those agents last week (although it was in self-defense). Wilhelm was a really a-hole and I kind of wanted to see him killed. However, someone else caught up to Wilhelm before Pam could and left him a bloody (albeit alive) mess.

Something scary is going down at Camp Crystal Lake as the counselors were having a party, only to be disrupted by rain. Before the rain, Grace had shown up to the party, trying to look older. She was dismissed by Claudette. Grace told Claudette that she saw her having sex with Barry at the time of Jason’s drowning, but Claudette tossed that threat aside. Grace threw away her cloggers and they wound up being chucked at Barry’s car at the end of the episode when they see some giant monster in the woods.

Not sure how I felt about this episode. I have not been a huge fan of Friday the 13th but the first episode was interesting enough to make me want to continue. I hope the next episodes will pick up the pace or I might have to forget about watching more of Crystal Lake.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #91

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DTF St. Louis

“Amphezyne”

There seems to be three prevailing theories in my head about DTF St. Louis.

One: Carol killed Floyd by upping the dose of amphezyne, a deadly combination with the blood thinners Floyd was taking.

Two: Floyd accidentally overdosed himself with the amphezyne.

Three: Floyd could not be a better person, even if he is a little kinky.

Looking at three first, we got even more examples of Floyd being just the best guy ever. He saved the blind teenager from falling into the pool. He spotted him out the window while he was watching Carol and Clark in the motel room.

Oh, when we thought last week that Floyd had “caught” them, it turned out that he had approached them and asked to watch.

Looking at number one, Carol sure looks suspicious. She lied to the police about the bike. She acted like she had no clue about the life insurance. She asked what would happen if Floyd took too much amphezyne. She sure is acting guilty.

I do not believe that Carol killed him, but there is definitely something going on with her. She does not seem like a grieving widow.

Theory two: Could Floyd have done something to himself? Suicide in some manner? Has something happened between what we have seen and the death to make him hopeless? Clark told his lawyer that he stopped telling the police the story because the rest would hurt Floyd. What did that mean?

There are only two more episodes remaining, with the final coming on November 1st.

Boston Legal S2 E11, E12, E13

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“The Cancer Man Can”

“Helping Hands”

“Too Much Information”

Boston Legal has always had some wonderful guest stars over the years who played some extremely memorable characters. The three episodes of season two had several examples of some of the best.

Catherine Piper- played by Betty White. She had been on previous episodes as well as on The Practice. She starts robbing convenience stores to get Alan’s attention.

Jerry Espenson- played by Christian Clemenson, who would eventually become a series regular… at this point was just an eccentric lawyer who would not take his hands off his thighs. He also held a knife to Shirley’s neck when he found out that he was not making partner.

Daniel Post- played by Michael J. Fox, who was a young CEO who had terminal cancer, but becomes involved with Denise. Daniel was very spoiled and used his money to try and take advantage of a special cancer trial.

Bev Bridge- played by Joanna Cassidy, had sex with Denny the night they met… the the coat check room. Denny and Bev planned to marry, and the firm worried about the influence she would have over Denny. She does fire the sandwich guy.

This is not just guest stars, but these roles are being played by big name stars. They all would appear in several episodes, if not many more.

These episodes start to show that Alan Shore is more than just a lawyer with questionable ethics. They are showing Alan as a man who is willing to fight for what he believes and for his clients. He might still do what it takes (like bribe a witness with a new car), but I might go as far as to say that Alan is beginning to become the heart and soul of Crane, Poole & Schmidt. He’s always been a good man deep down, but much of these episodes show him being a good man outwardly.

Muppet Show S3 E3, E4, E5

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Guest Star: Roy Clark

Guest Star: Gilda Radner

Guest Star: Pearl Bailey

These three episodes in the third season of the Muppet Show are starting to show how the talent level is going up. These three stars, Roy Clark, Gilda Radner and Pearl Bailey, were sensational performers and they are able to do so much.

Roy Clark is so talented with his ability to play multiple instruments. In the one song, he played the fiddle, the guitar, the banjo and the mandolin. Impressive as always. He sang one of my favorites, Yesterday When I Was Young too.

Gilda Radner showed off both her singing skills and her comedy chops as some Muppet Labs super adhesive glue got out and wound up having everyone stuck to each other. Radner was chewing the scenery, almost literally.

Pearl Bailey has a remarkable voice and they took advantage of it with several numbers.

These episodes had several editions of the standbys, Pigs in Space, Muppet Labs and At the Dance.

It still amazes me when this kids show pulls out stuff like the “jousting scene from Camelot.” It never missed to elevate the acts intended to not only entertain, but to educate.

Crystal Lake S1 E1

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“Camp Crystal”

Peacock’s latest show, Crystal Lake, is a prequel to the Friday the 13th series, that seemed to focus on Jason Voorhees’s mother, Pam. Pam is played by Linda Cardellini, and there appeared to have something more than just a mother grieving her son who drowned.

There is a piece of this story that is mysterious. The arrival of the “agents” took this series and made it a turn that I was not expecting. It was bloody and brutal and a lot of fun.

There is something that Pam is hiding from us, and I wonder how this is going to proceed.

The series dropped all eight episodes at once, but I am not planning on binging this. I would like to keep working on watching the show as it was an intriguing first episode. I only knew it was out because of the Reel Rejects on YouTube, which was doing a watch along on the first four episodes (which told me it was dropped at once). Peacock has had some fun shows during its time, but this was probably their biggest IPs of all of them. Plus, I do really love Linda Cardellini, so there are some pluses for this show.

VisionQuest S1 E1 E2

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“No Strings”

“Theseus”

VisionQuest debuted tonight as a third series in the WandaVision trilogy which kicked off with WandaVision and was followed up by Agatha All Along, and there is not a possible debate that this show is not dependent on those previous ones. WandaVision and Agatha All Along are required viewing for VisionQuest.

Paul Bettany returned as Vision, the same android that had been reconstructed by SWORD, this time white, and who left in the finale of WandaVision.

We all have wondered where Vision has been all these many years since he flew off out of Westview, and we get a glimpse into that in the first two episodes, which dropped on Disney + Tuesday, a day early than what it originally was intended.

James Spader returned to the MCU as Ultron, but existing inside Vision’s head, in a strange world where Vision exists in his attempt to determine what humanity is and how he is connected to it. Vision brought us a crew of former AIs from the MCU to help him in his efforts including JARVIS, EDITH, FRIDAY, DUM-E and U. Ultron was included among these AI as well. The interactions between this group of MCU AI was great, making a kind of family.

But family was more intricate to the story than just the AI. We meet Tommy, the boy that Billy sent his brother’s spirit into at the end of Agatha All Along. The scene with the swimming pool, which was one of the more dramatic moments with Billy, was alluded to several times, and Tommy had been struggling with his identity ever since. His memories of his mother Wanda and his father Vision played havoc on his mind, grappling with the confusion of exactly whom he was.

We are introduced to the character Paladin. He is a bounty hunter and he has been hired by someone to capture Vision. This is one of the mysteries of the show, and I have to say that I am extremely intrigued by the identity of this benefactor. I liked Paladin as well, played by Todd Stashwick. He used adamantium rounds… I mean… cool. Was this the first time adamantium was used as a weapon in the MCU? The metal was introduced in Captain America: Brand New World so i wonder how long the timeline is between that film and this show.

There was some sacrifice in these first two episodes as well. Vision’s friend at the bar in Edinburgh where he worked, was shot by Paladin’s forces. Then JARVIS, played by James D’Arcy (who played a real life Jarvis in the Agent Carter series on ABC) sacrificed himself after Vision had been shot by those adamantium rounds in order to keep the Vision alive and to keep the other AI’s active. I did not see that coming and his self-sacrifice (suggested by Ultron, by the way) was a powerful moment.

Vision and Tommy are together, on the run from Paladin, and certainly something will come from this.

I have to say I loved the longer episodes, with the two episode release coming in at over 100 minutes (episode one: 56 minutes and episode 2: 46 minutes, albeit with credits). This gave the show a feel of significance. Some times that was lacking among the shorter 30-35 minute episodes we were used to on Disney +.

The conflict of Vision and his efforts to figure out who he actually is feels compelling, and the acting is exceptional. And I love James Spader! I do hope that the person who hired Paladin does not turn out to be Ultron, although I do expect him to be an antagonist during this show. That would seem too conventional for a show that is using two of the best Marvel Disney + shows as its lead-in.

I am in on VisionQuest, and I am excited about next Tuesday.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #90

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DTF St. Louis

“Missouri Mutual Life & Health Insurance Company”

I can see why David Harbour won an Emmy for this role.

He is spectacular.

The rap with Jason Bateman about passing the M-F life insurance physical is one of the best scenes I have seen all year long. It only made Floyd’s death all the more sad.

We see the progression of how Floyd achieved the life insurance that could be a motive for murder. We also get Detectives Homer and Plumb discovering the existence of the life insurance.

The more we learn about this show, the sadder it becomes because it is totally the relationship between Floyd and Clark that carries the weight of the show. Things seemed to be looking up for Floyd thanks to Clark, so I wonder how things went off the path. Floyd told Clark that he was ready to be done with DTF St. Louis, but his death was connected to the site.

I am no closer to the answer of the murder yet, as we have three more episodes to go.

Ted Lasso S4 E10

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“Being Alive”

The fourth season of Ted Lasso came to a close as most of the storylines wrapped up and set a new status quo for anything moving forward.

The ending is a shocking moment as Ted Lasso stepped down as head coach of the Lady Greyhounds to take an assistant position instead. This allowed Alice to take the head coaching position. Part of this was obviously for Ted to be able to spend more time with his son, who was having a hard time dealing with the loss of Mae last episode.

I’m wondering what this will do for any future seasons of the show. I thought maybe Ted would move over to coach the men’s team again since Roy accepted a head coaching position at Chelsea, but that did not happen. It was a fascinating twist and I am curious how it will play out.

I did love how Rebecca and Higgins put one over on Zelda, who thought she had succeeded in purchasing enough shares to take over the Richmond team. I love how they played this and how Higgins was able to figure out the mystery of Zelda’s betrayal. The whole use of the shareholders meeting to reveal to Zelda that she fail was cool. I really thought Zelda was going to win, but the whole fight between Rebecca and Higgins made me suspect the truth.

The Roy-Keeley story was sweet during this time and I really did not think that Roy would take the job. I wonder how that will affect Keeley at Richmond.

This season picked up the pace in the second half, really starting to feel like Ted Lasso. I am unsure what any future seasons may hold, if it even does come back.

Lanterns S1 E8

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“Dirt and Stars”

The finale of Lanterns was really good, in my opinion, but I have a feeling that it may not be as well received as it should be.

The mystery of who killed Hal Jordan was wrapped up with an interesting twist when it was revealed that Sheriff Kerry did indeed shoot him in the head.

Motive? She was protecting her son, Noah, who was revealed as a Manhunter. Noah knew he was a Manhunter and had healed Hal when Hal got stuck in a burning building. Noah had confessed to John that he had killed Hal, in order to protect his mom. Noah was the one who freed Sinestro and convinced him to forge him a lantern in exchange. Noah got the drop on John and got ahold of the ring, but he and John had a powerful conversation inside a car.

I say that I do not think the finale will be as well received because there was not much action in the episode, and there was a lot of talking. I like that kind of writing, but I know there has already been criticism about the use of the Lantern powers in this show.

I do think the episode was strong for the character element though, and watching John Stewart claim the ring and use the forged lantern to charge his ring with his own distinct oath.

In Brightest Day
In Darkest Night
I’ll embrace my fear…
I’ll do what’s right
I choose this ring,
I choose this fight…
In service to this lanterns light

Guy Gardner made another appearance and John told him what it was going to be. It was great to see John become what he was destined to be, but taking it in his own way.

Great series. I am sad that Hal Jordan seems to be done for good, but, even still, this was very entertaining.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #89

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DTF St. Louis

“The Go Getter”

The theme of this episode: Floyd was wonderful.

I mean, the character of Floyd, as brilliantly played by David Harbour, is one of the best character/people on TV. Everything about him was awesome, personality wise.

That all came through during the interrogation between Clark and Detective Plumb and Homer, after Plumb discovered that Carol had lied about the Go Getter drink.

The way Clark spoke about Floyd was as loving as you could and the descriptions of the way Floyd handled his life, from his step-son to a chance encounter, was so above board that one wonders why anyone would want him dead.

This episode revealed that Floyd was not a closeted gay. He had misinterpreted a picture on the DTF St. Louis site as a woman (didn’t have his spectacles on) when it was a picture of David Bowie, and his chance encounter with a man. Floyd lets him kiss him in the parking lot to avoid hurting the man’s feelings, even though he was not into him in that way.

This episode spent a chunk of time setting up Carol as the obvious suspect in the murder. Since it is episode three, I think she is also a red herring. We saw Carol riding one of the recumbent bikes like Clark does, plus she spent a bunch of time trying to get Clark to help her get life insurance for Floyd.

There is no doubt after this episode that Clark did not kill Floyd. The key that the police showed him clammed him up. I think it probably leads to some life insurance that would point the finger at Carol, and Clark was trying to protect her. I have a suspicion that he believes she killed Floyd.

Their sex life encounters… weird.

By the way, the gymnastics routine from Floyd on the hostile architecture was epic. Floyd was really out of breath after it. Is that a clue?

I am intrigued with this case, and I really want to know what happened to the wonderful Floyd.

American Horror Story 13 S13 E4-6

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“Is That All There Is?”

“Date Night”

“The Return of Devil’s Night”

I guess it looks as if each week will have three new episodes.

That seems to be the trade off for the shorter run times.

Elsa Mars makes her return to AHS as an emcee of sort and a musical guest, performing Peggy Lee’s 1969 hit “Is That All There Is?” Elsa was from season 4 American Horror Story: Freak Show. This is another character played by Jessica Lange. I loved the Freak Show season.

She was basically emceeing the sacrifice of 13 souls into the pit of hell.

The souls included: aka “Mr. Nas’ favorite bad girls,” include: Hypodermic Sally (Paulson’s “Hotel” character), “Gestapo gal pal” Eva Braun, “dynasty-busting divorcee” Wallis Simpson, “selfish writer” Ayn Rand, “vegetarian man-eater” Brigitte Bardot, “fker of horses” Catherine the Great, Mamie Eisenhower (Paulson from “Death Valley”), “sneaky Romanian tyrant” Elena Ceausescu, “original slty princess” Jezebel, Tuberculosis Karen (Paulson from “Red Tide”), “union-busting b***h” Margaret Thatcher, and lastly, poor Elizabeth. What’s her sin, you ask? According to Elsa, she “sucked the world dry” with her “hopeless dreaming.” Way harsh, Elsa.”

-Read More: https://www.tvline.com/2275397/ahs-season-13-episode-6-ending-explained-cordelia-dead-alive/

Wilhelmina Venable, Sarah Paulson’s character from Apocalypse, filled out the 13 when the number came up short.

Piggy Man returned this week. He was in Murder House and Roanoke seasons. Jeffrey Dahmer (played by Seth Gabel, from AHS: Hotel).

This show has been interesting, but the story itself is fairly lacking. It has been all nostalgia for the previous 12 seasons. We’ll see how things go as it moves on.